Archives: News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New York, NY – Thursday, November 17, 2016 – The ABC Children’s Group at the American Booksellers Association (ABA) and the Children’s Book Council (CBC) are partnering to bring back the popular Silent Art Auction and the Children’s and Teen Choice Book Awards Announcement in a joint program to take place on May 31, 2017, from 5:15 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., at the Javits Center South Concourse in New York City, as part of BookExpo. The event will benefit American Booksellers for Free Expression (ABFE) and Every Child a Reader.

National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Gene Luen Yang will serve as honorary chair of the event, announcing the winners of the Children’s and Teen Choice Book Awards—the only national book awards program where the winning titles are selected by young readers.

Solicitation for artwork will begin early January 2017. For more information, please contact Susannah Richards, Professor and Children’s Literature Advocate (susannah.richards@me.com).

The program will also celebrate the 75^th anniversary of Random House’s Little Golden Books. Launched in 1942, the Little Golden Books imprint is synonymous with affordable, high-quality picture books. This year’s Silent Art Auction will feature a special selection of works in celebration of the Little Golden Books legacy as part of a year-long marketing and publicity extravaganza kicking off in February 2017.

Says Joy Dallanegra-Sanger, Senior Program Director of ABA, “Now, more than ever, events supporting free speech and literacy are vital. ABA is pleased to be part of bringing back both beloved events to BookExpo, where the entire industry gathers.”

Shaina Birkhead, Programming and Strategic Partnerships Director of the Children’s Book Council and Every Child a Reader, is delighted “to be working closely with our friends at ABA, ABC, and ABFE on such interconnected and essential causes: free speech, great art, and children’s literacy.”

About the ABC Children’s Group

The ABC Children’s Group (ABC), a program of the American Booksellers Association (ABA), is dedicated to growing and expanding the reach of children’s books. ABC serves independent bookstores, authors, publishers, and illustrators, and develops unique education, events, and communications to further that purpose. ABA is a not-for-profit trade association devoted to meeting the needs of its core members—independently owned bookstores with storefront locations. It exists to protect and promote the interests of independent retail book businesses, as well as – through American Booksellers for Free Expression (ABFE) – to protect the First Amendment rights of every American.

About the Children’s Book Council (CBC)

The Children’s Book Council is the nonprofit trade association for children’s book publishers in North America. The CBC offers children’s publishers the opportunity to work together on issues of importance to the industry at large, including educational programming, literacy advocacy, and partnerships with other national organizations. Our members span the spectrum from large international houses to smaller independent presses.

About Every Child a Reader

Every Child a Reader is a 501(c)(3) literacy charity dedicated to inspiring a lifelong love of reading in children and teens across America. Every Child a Reader’s popular national programs include Children’s Book Week (May 1-7, 2017), the longest-running literacy initiative in the country; the Children’s Choice Book Awards, the only book awards chosen by children and teens; and the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature program, in partnership with the Library of Congress.

About the Children’s and Teen Choice Book Awards

Launched in 2008 by the Children’s Book Council and Every Child a Reader, the Children’s and Teen Choice Book Awards is the only national book awards voting open only to kids and teens. In 2017, voting will be open from March 1 to May 7.

About Little Golden Books

The year 1942 was marked by a bold experiment that, even in the thick of World War II, would galvanize consumer culture: the launch of the twenty-five-cent Little Golden Books. High-quality illustrated books for children would be available at a price that nearly everyone could afford, and sold where people shopped every day. The Little Golden Books imprint includes the most famous and the bestselling picture book of all time, The Poky Little Puppy. Beloved classics such as The Shy Little Kitten, The Saggy Baggy Elephant, Tawny Scrawny Lion, Tootle, Scuffy The Tugboat, The Little Red Hen, The Little Red Caboose, are now joined by well-known characters and brands such as Disney, Nickelodeon, Star Wars and more. More at www.randomhousekids.com/brand/little-golden-books/.

In honor of the imprint’s 75^th anniversary, Random House will reissue a selection of titles back in print from the 1950s including Pets for Peter, Cars and Trucks by Richard Scarry and The Paper Doll Wedding Book; as well as a never-before-seen Margaret Wise Brown story and a new edition of The Golden Legacy by Leonard Marcus.

###

ABA Contact:
Joy Dallanegra-Sanger, Senior Program Officer
914-406-7518
joy@bookweb.org

CBC/Every Child a Reader Contact:
Emma Kantor, Publicity and Digital Content Manager
212-966-1990
emma.kantor@cbcbooks.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New York, NY – Monday, November 7, 2016 – Minnesota-based author and literacy volunteer Claudette Hegel has donated her complete collection of the John Newbery and Randolph Caldecott Award winners to the Children’s Book Council. Hegel’s Newbery and Caldecott collection consists of every Medal and Honor book since 1922 and 1938, respectively, totaling 736 titles.

The books’ eastward journey began earlier this summer when CBC Board member Tracy van Straaten discovered Hegel’s advertisement on the Child_Lit listserv. Interim Executive Director Josalyn Moran traveled to Hegel’s home in Bloomington, Minnesota where she and Claudette carefully packed the 700 plus books to be shipped to the Children’s Book Council headquarters in New York City. The books are now proudly displayed on new bookshelves in the CBC conference room, along with full information on every year’s selection committee members; the library will serve as a resource to CBC members, librarians, teachers, booksellers, as well as to all visiting authors.

In addition to being an avid collector of children’s books and ephemera, Hegel volunteers with several local organizations including Books on Wings, which puts books into the hands of underserved kids in schools. She spent more than 20 years volunteering for the Minneapolis and Hennepin County Public Libraries and is a former Minnesota regional advisor for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). She is the author of three books on the Newbery and Caldecott Awards and the winners, biographies of the award namesakes, and other books.

Prior to this donation, Hegel contributed a significant collection of Caldecott and Newbery ephemera to the Children’s Literature Research Center/Kerlan Collection at the University of Minnesota. Says Hegel of her CBC donation: “Yes, I miss having the books handy. I suddenly discovered I used the books more than I thought, even if only for fun, not for research. That being said, I don’t miss the books as much as I thought I would (so far, anyway). Knowing the books will actually be used to help many people instead of making me feel like a miser hoarding gold takes the sting out of the books being a half-a-country away.”

Chair of the Children’s Book Council Board Jon Anderson says of the donation: “As a book lover and a Midwesterner, I am thrilled by this generous act. We’re delighted to receive these marvelous books from Claudette Hegel. We intend this to be a living collection, with a call going out to every author who can to come by and sign their book(s), view the collection, and have a photograph taken.”

About the Children’s Book Council (CBC)
The Children’s Book Council is the nonprofit trade association for children’s book publishers in North America. The CBC offers children’s publishers the opportunity to work together on issues of importance to the industry at large, including educational programming, literacy advocacy, and collaborations with other national organizations. Our members span the spectrum from large international houses to smaller independent presses. The CBC is proud to partner with other national organizations on co-sponsored reading lists, educational programming, and literacy initiatives. Please visit www.cbcbooks.org for more information.

About Every Child a Reader 
Every Child a Reader is a 501(c)(3) literacy organization dedicated to inspiring a lifelong love of reading in children and teens across America. Every Child a Reader’s popular and effective programs include Children’s Book Week, a nationwide celebration of books and reading, and the longest-running national literacy initiative in the country; the Children’s Choice Book Awards, the only national book awards program where the winning titles are selected by kids and teens of all ages; and the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature program, the country’s “Children’s Literature Laureate.” Please visit www.cbcbooks.org/about/every-child-a-reader/.

About the Newbery Medal

The Newbery Medal was named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. To learn more about the awards and for a complete list of winners, visit the ALA website.

About the Caldecott Medal

The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children. To learn more about the awards and for a complete list of winners, visit the ALA website.

###

Media Contact:
Emma Kantor, Publicity and Digital Content Manager
The Children’s Book Council and Every Child a Reader
212/966-1990
emma.kantor@cbcbooks.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Beginning this fall, in preparation for the full roll-out of the Reading Without Walls Challenge for summer 2017, Every Child a Reader is testing the campaign at 25 schools and libraries from California to Maine who all requested an official event with the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Gene Luen Yang. Materials include a small poster and a student certificate, now also being made widely available to any schools, libraries, and bookstores interested in participating in this pilot program of the READING WITHOUT WALLS Challenge.

The READING WITHOUT WALLS Challenge encourages students to discover books outside their comfort zone. Readers of all ages can take up the challenge in one of three ways: by reading a book about a diverse character; by reading a book about an unfamiliar topic; or by trying a book in a new format. Bestselling graphic novelist Gene Luen Yang created the official READING WITHOUT WALLS Challenge as the fifth National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, in keeping with his mission to promote diverse and inclusive stories.

The poster created by Yang shows two children sitting on steps of books and peering excitedly over a wall toward a vista of new opportunities and perspectives. The poster and certificate will be distributed to independent booksellers through the Indie Bound October Red Box. Librarians and educators may request copies from Every Child a Reader at no cost by writing to: Reading Without Walls Poster, Children’s Book Council, 54 W. 39^th, 14^th floor, NY, NY  10018. Please include a self-addressed mailing label. All materials are also downloadable at www.cbcbooks.org/reading-without-walls/. (The printed poster will be on durable paper stock.)

“The pilot program is designed to gather feedback about additional resources and materials needed to optimize the program and accompany a large poster for the national summer 2017 full roll-out. The pilot is also another step in building excitement about the power of reading diversely. We are so grateful to Gene for this great idea filled with his passion, his art, and his heart,” says Shaina Birkhead, Director of Programming at the Children’s Books Council and Every Child a Reader.

About Gene Luen Yang

Gene Luen Yang began drawing comic books in the fifth grade; he began making comics professionally over fifteen years ago. In 2006, his graphic novel American Born Chinese (Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group/First Second Books) became the first graphic novel to be a finalist for a National Book Award and the first to win the American Library Association’s Printz Award. It also won an Eisner Award for Best Graphic Album. In 2013, Boxers & Saints (Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group/First Second Books), his two-volume graphic novel about the Boxer Rebellion, was a National Book Award finalist and won the L.A. Times Book Prize. Gene has also won an Eisner for The Eternal Smile, a collaboration with Derek Kirk Kim. He is the author of the Secret Coders series (with artist Mike Holmes) and has written for the hit comics Avatar: The Last Airbender and Superman. Yang lives in the San Francisco Bay area. Learn more at geneyang.com.

About the National Ambassador Program

The National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Program was established in 2008 by the Children’s Book Council, Every Child a Reader, and the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. The program is administered by Every Child a Reader. Over the last eight years, the National Ambassador Program has reached millions of young readers and their caregivers in the United States. Visit www.ChildrensBookAmbassador.com for more information.

About Every Child a Reader

Every Child a Reader is a 501(c)3 charitable literacy organization dedicated to inspiring a lifelong love of reading in children and teens. Sponsored and staffed by the Children’s Book Council, Every Child a Reader creates and supports programs that strive to make the reading and enjoyment of children’s books an essential part of America’s educational and social aims. The cornerstone programs are as follows: Children’s Book Week, a nationwide celebration of reading and the longest-running national literacy initiative in the country; the Children’s Choice Book Awards, the only national book awards program where the winning titles are selected by kids and teens of all ages; and the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Program, the country’s “Children’s Literature Laureate.”

About the Children’s Book Council

The Children’s Book Council is the nonprofit trade association for children’s book publishers in North America, and is the sponsor for Every Child a Reader programs. The CBC offers children’s publishers the opportunity to work together on issues of importance to the industry at large, including diversity, career development, literacy advocacy, and partnerships with other national organizations. Our members span the spectrum from large international houses to smaller independent presses. The CBC is proud to collaborate with other book-related associations on co-sponsored reading lists, educational programming, and literacy initiatives. Please visit www.cbcbooks.org for more information.

###

Media Contact:
Emma Kantor, Communications Coordinator
The Children’s Book Council and Every Child a Reader
212/966-1990
emma.kantor[@]cbcbooks.org

New York, NY — August 11, 2016 — Acclaimed illustrator Christian Robinson has agreed to design the 2017 Children’s Book Week poster distributed by Every Child a Reader and the Children’s Book Council in commemoration of the 98^th annual Children’s Book Week, to take place on May 1-7, 2017. Robinson is the artist behind such beloved picture books as Gaston by Kelly DiPucchio and Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña, for which he received a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor and a Caldecott Honor.

Reviving a Children’s Book Week tradition, the poster will feature the new official Children’s Book Week slogan, “One World, Many Stories,” highlighting the power of books to unite readers of all backgrounds. Each year since the program’s inception in 1919, a distinguished children’s book illustrator has been asked to create an official Children’s Book Week poster for national distribution. Over the literacy initiative’s 98 storied years, posters have been designed by children’s literature icons including Ezra Jack Keats, Jerry Pinkney, Brian Selznick, Ellen Raskin, Maurice Sendak, Rosemary Wells, and Garth Williams. Every Child a Reader and the Children’s Book Council are honored to add Christian Robinson’s beautiful artwork to these historic commemorations of the longest-running national literacy initiative.

Robinson says of the Children’s Book Week commission: “Illustrating picture books for a living is already quite a prize. Being invited to design the 2017 Book Week poster might just take the cake! Many artists who inspire me — including Bruno Munari, Paul Rand, and Roger Duvoisin — have designed it in the past, so it’s a huge honor.”

Chair of the Every Child a Reader Board Judith Haut says of the 2017 poster: “I am delighted that Christian Robinson will be lending his dynamic illustration to the 2017 Children’s Book Week poster. His commitment to representing our diverse world in all its beauty epitomizes the theme of ‘One World, Many Stories.’ We can’t wait to share his inspiring poster with readers from coast to coast.”

Posters from Book Weeks past are available for purchase at the official Children’s Book Week Store. All proceeds benefit Every Child a Reader, a 501(c)(3) literacy organization dedicated to instilling a lifelong love of reading in children. Stay tuned for the official poster reveal leading up to Children’s Book Week 2017.

About Christian Robinson

Christian Robinson is “one of the most exciting children’s book artists working today,” according to the New York Times. He received a Caldecott Honor for Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña, which was also a Newbery Medal winner and a New York Times Bestseller. He also illustrated Rain! by Linda Ashman, winner of the Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Award, and Josephine by Patricia Hruby Powell, recipient of a Boston Globe–Horn Book Honor and a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor. Readers will be delighted to see his illustrations in Little Penguins by Cynthia Rylant, which will be published in October. He lives in San Francisco. Learn more at TheArtOfFun.com.

About Children’s Book Week
Established in 1919, CBW is the longest-running national literacy initiative in the country. Each year, official events give kids the opportunity to connect with their favorite authors and illustrators in person. In 2016, official events were held in all 50 states. To learn more about Children’s Book Week and how you can join the fun, visit bookweekonline.com.

About Every Child a Reader

Every Child a Reader is a 501(c)(3) literacy organization dedicated to instilling a lifelong love of reading in children. Every Child a Reader creates and supports programs that strive to make the reading and enjoyment of children’s books an essential part of America’s educational and social aims; and enhance public perception of the importance of reading. Every Child a Reader’s programs include Children’s Book Week, a nationwide celebration of books and reading, and the longest-running national literacy initiative in the country; the Children’s Choice Book Awards, the only national book awards program where the winning titles are selected by kids and teens of all ages; and the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Program, the country’s “Children’s Literature Laureate.” Please visit www.cbcbooks.org/about/every-child-a-reader/ for more information.

About the Children’s Book Council

The Children’s Book Council is the national nonprofit trade association for children’s book publishers. The CBC offers children’s publishers the opportunity to work together on issues of importance to the industry at large, including educational programming, literacy advocacy, and collaborations with other national organizations. Our members span the spectrum from large international houses to smaller independent presses. Membership in the CBC is open to U.S. publishers of children’s trade books, as well as in some cases to industry-affiliated companies. The CBC is proud to partner with other national organizations on co-sponsored reading lists, educational programming, and literacy initiatives. Please visit www.cbcbooks.org for more information.

###

Contact:

Emma Kantor
Communications Coordinator
The Children’s Book Council and Every Child a Reader
212-966-1990
emma.kantor[@]cbcbooks.org